A scanner is a device that allows a user to copy a document or picture into a digital format for storage and manipulation on a computer. When scanners were first introduced, they were extremely expensive and generally only used by hardcore technophiles or those with money to burn. Nowadays, scanner technology has advanced significantly and the prices have dropped. As such, its not uncommon to find scanners in small offices and private homes.
Scanners have not only become much cheaper, but also much more intuitive. While many scanners still offer advanced features for those that want them, some scanners are as simple to use as inserting a document and pressing a button. The convenience and simplicity of converting documents and photographs into digital images has made scanners a popular addition to many computer systems.
Scanners come in a variety of different sizes and levels of functionality. The most common is the flatbed scanner. A flat bed scanner can generally scan documents that are the size of standard sheet of paper or a little bit bigger. They are often the simplest types of scanners – in most cases, all that must be done is to insert whatever you want into the scanner face down, and hit the button.
It used to be that photo scanners were similar, except for smaller. Photo scanners were useful for scanning photos because they preserved the resolution and depth of color of a photo, meaning there’s no loss of quality. Thanks to the advances in scanner technology, however, most flatbed scanners can handle high resolutions and the need for small photo scanners has diminished.
When desk space is a major concern, sheetfed scanners are a good alternative to flatbeds, which take up a lot of workspace. Sheetfed scanners are more compact, and documents are fed through them, rather than set inside them. Since documents are fed through, scanning multiple documents back to back with a sheetfed scanner is much more convenient than using a flatbed.
If a sheetfed scanner simply can’t copy enough documents fast enough, document imaging scanners are another option. These scanners are specifically designed for copying multiple documents in rapid succession – several pages per minute. You can feed a series of documents into them and the scanner will take care of the rest.
For simple home use, you can find scanners for as cheap as $40. For more advanced scanners that might be used in an office, you can expect to pay well over $1,000. In between those figures, prices will vary based on the resolution, color depth, speed, and extra features offered by the scanner.
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